Olympus 1s vs Panasonic FP5

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus 1s and Panasonic FP5, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Ultracompact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the 1s (12MP) and the FP5 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the 1s (1/1.7") and FP5 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The 1s was introduced 4 years after the FP5 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic FP5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick view of how the 1s scores vs the FP5 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 1s & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus 1s Gallery & Panasonic FP5 Gallery.

If you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 1s offers exterior measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") along with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FP5 has proportions of 101mm x 59mm x 18mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.7") having a weight of 141 grams (0.31 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 1s and Panasonic FP5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select during that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the 1s vs the FP5.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1s and FP5 is 79 and 95 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes purely by checking a spec sheet. The image here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 1s and FP5.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The 1s using its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FP5 will give greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more modern 1s provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.